Louisa Gabriella Bobb (born 19 July 1969), known professionally as Gabrielle, is a British singer and songwriter. Bobb was born in Hackney, London. She released her debut single, "Dreams", in 1993, and it topped the UK Singles Chart the same year. Her other singles include "Going Nowhere", "Give Me a Little More Time", "Walk On By", and "If You Ever" – a duet with East 17.

After a few inactive years, Gabrielle made a comeback with "Rise", which became her second UK number one, in 2000. Her album of the same name reached the top spot on the UK Albums Chart, where it stayed for three weeks. The song "Out of Reach", from the soundtrack to Bridget Jones's Diary, reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. She released the compilation Dreams Can Come True, Greatest Hits Vol. 1 in 2001.

Gabrielle was born in London as Louisa Gabriella Bobb to parents from Dominica. She and her three brothers were brought up by their mother, Patricia. Gabrielle credited her mother for her love of soul and reggae music.

Gabrielle has had ptosis, the drooping of one eyelid, since childhood: in public, she covers her eye with sunglasses, an eyepatch, a hat or hair. In school, she suffered from depression and was sometimes suicidal. After finishing her A-levels, she abandoned an idea to study law and began singing in nightclubs.

Gabrielle's real first name is Louisa, but she goes by a distorted version of her middle name, Gabriella. In an interview with Smooth Radio, she said: "I actually always thought I was Louise Gabrielle. But I’m actually Louisa Gabriella. 'Yes. Let’s call you Gabrielle. Let’s call you Gabrielle for now.' I was chuffed, because I didn’t have to make up a name. I was able to use my middle name. And that’s how it came about."

.In June 1993, Gabrielle released her debut single, "Dreams", co-written by Gabrielle and Tim Laws and produced by Richie Fermie. In its earliest version, the song sampled the melody of Tracy Chapman's 1988 hit "Fast Car". This was later removed after copyright infringement. "Dreams" topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in June 1993 having entered the British charts at number 2, which was the highest chart entry a debut act had ever scored in the UK at that time. The song also peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and at number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. In Australia, the song made number two on the ARIA Chart. The second single "Going Nowhere" from the same album was written by Gabrielle and George McFarlane and produced by Pete Cragie. "Going Nowhere" reached number nine on the UK singles chart and number 18 ranking in Ireland. It was the second biggest hit from the album Find Your Way. In December 1993 Gabrielle released her third single from her debut album. "I Wish", written by Gabrielle and Jon Douglas, it was not as successful as its predecessors, which both reached the UK top ten. "I Wish" charted at number 26 on the UK singles chart. "Because of You" was the fourth and final single from Gabrielle's debut album Find Your Way. Written by Gabrielle, George McFarlane and Ray Saint John, "Because of You" peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. "Find Your Way" peaked at number nine on the UK Albums Chart. ...

Source: Article "Gabrielle (singer)" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Louise Gabrielle Bobb (née le 19 juillet 1969 à Hackney, Londres) est une chanteuse soul britannique connue sous le nom de Gabrielle.

Cette auteur-interprète couronnée de lauriers a investi les charts anglais puis mondiaux dès son premier single Dreams, grâce au mariage de trois différents styles: pop, soul, RnB.

Son travail s'inspire des grands classiques du genre, mais aussi de la pop britannique du début des années 1980, les deux se conjuguant en un style de chant original, pur et émouvant.

En 1993, elle se fait connaître et cartonne avec le titre Dreams.

En 1996, elle renoue avec le succès en duo avec le groupe: East 17 avec le titre If you ever.

Son 3e disque, Rise, lancé en 1999, est arrivé en tête des charts britanniques. Deux ans plus tard, Gabrielle sort un album compilation, Dreams Can Come True, Greatest Hits Vol.1, qui contient la nouvelle chanson Out of Reach, que l'on retrouve dans la bande sonore du film Le Journal de Bridget Jones.

Son 5e album, Always, est sorti début octobre 2007, avec un single Why en duo avec Paul Weller, sorti le 17 septembre 2007 en téléchargement puis en single le 24 septembre 2007.

Pour préparer son 6e album, elle rentre en studio en 2012. En 2013 sort le disque Now and Always: 20 Years of Dreaming, un album alternant nouvelles chansons et reprises d'anciens succès. L'album, qui souligne également les 20 ans de carrière de l'artiste, est suivi d'une tournée au Royaume-Uni en mars 2014. La même année, elle participe au festival de Rovinj, en Croatie.

Elle a un fils né le 16 avril 1995 de sa relation avec Tony Antoniou.

Gabrielle porte des lunettes noires ou un bandeau pour un problème de naissance à l’œil droit. Bien qu'opérée avec succès, elle garde cette marque distinctive pour les clips, les plateaux télé et la scène estimant que cela fait partie de son personnage.

Source: Article "Gabrielle (chanteuse)" de Wikipédia en français, soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA 3.0.